Greek Christmas customs

Nursery Rizario school Trikala 2012-2014 Presentation by Ann Magkiosi

Greek Customs About Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

1. The: “Pothariko” (good right foot)

Every year, the daybreak of New Year’s Day, the small children go to the houses of their friends and relatives and do “the good right foot” They go very early, before the sunshine, to be the first that they will step to the houses and of course with the right foot, which is the lucky one (like it said), before someone else reaches in the houses first. Then the housekeepers give to the children candies, nuts and whatever else they have prepared. Sometimes, they give them money, because everybody knows that the “the good right foot” of children will bring luck and joy to the New Year which coming!

2. The pomegranate

The pomegranate is not only a very delicious fruit. The people said that this fruit brings also good luck and happiness.

So, every New Year’s Eve the housekeepers hang pomegranates at the door of their houses and also broke one of this outside of their door because they believe that the New Year which coming will be lucky and will be so many goods as the uncounted little balls of the pomegranate.

3. Christ’s bread

From the very old year, women, the day of Christmas brought to the table of celebration the Christ’s bread.It was a bread like all the other breads, but in round shape and many little ornaments made from dough.The housewives decorate the bread depending of the father’s job.For example: If the father was a farmer the bread had as decoration fruits.trees, cows, chicken, horses and vegetables.If the father was a fisherman the decoration was many kind of fishes, nets, waves, boats and mermaidsBy this way the women wanted and asked from the little Christ who was just born, to bless their houses and to give them health, luck and good crops for the New Year.

4. The lucky coin

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Another custom for the New Year’s Eve is the cutting of the Christmascake or pie with meet, which have inside a coin.We cut the cake or the pie in many little pieces and all the people who sitting in the Christmas table take one piece.The lucky of the year will be the person who will find this coin.Many times tooks and some extra money or gifts as the lucky person.In some places of Greece instant cake use a kind of pie with cheese orvegetables or meat or chicken with rice and put the lucky coin inside them.

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5. Christmas dinner

In many places of Greece, especially in Thessaly, Greeks use to eat this day many kinds of meat with different ways of cooking, but the national dinner is turkey or chicken and pig (the whole pig grilled).Also one of the meals this day is the ‘ tigania’ (little pieces of pork meat frites in virgin oil with onion or vegetables.Many kinds of salads, tzatziki, Greek feta, sausages and pies with cheese, with meat, with vegetables or with suit creams, all kinds of fruits and the traditional suits for Christmas days: kourabiedes and melomacarona,decorate the Christmas table in every Greek house.And of course …a bottle of good wine, products usually from the same owners or the ‘tsipouro’(very strong drink),complete the dinner!

Christmas Greek Dinner 1. Green salad with nuts and pomegranate.

2. Color rice with vegetables and nuts and chicken or turkey with potatoes.

Roast big is also a Greek Christmas menu instant turkey.

And of course many kinds of suits and fruits.

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